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2018 USS Megaladon accident
* (Soviet Red Navy) |side2=Underwater reefs |side3= |side4= |commanders1= |commanders2= |commanders3= |commanders4= |strength1= *1x Super Bastion-class submarine (Soviet Red Navy) *5x tugs *4x patrol boats *1x destroyer *Explosive charges |strength2=Rocks |strength3= |strength4= |casualties1= (Red Navy) *None *Damaged propulsion system *Dignity |casualties2=None |casualties3= |casualties4= }} The 2018 USS Megaladon accident or known as 'КИТ на берегу '(beached whale) to many Russian military personnel, was an accident in the Baltic Sea near Europe that saw an American Super Bastion-class submarine run itself aground on an underwater reef, necessitating rescue. This incident was highly embarrassing to the United States, due to the rescue being carried out by its long time rival the Soviet Union. History In 2018, the USS Megaladon, barely a few years old, suffered a highly embarrassing incident in the Baltic Sea. Its captain, Norman Rostron, while a seasoned and highly competent officer, had never commanded a submarine of the Megaladon's size; in fact, no one had. This would prove to be a hard skill to learn as when maneuvering through a channel, the Megaladon run aground when Rostron misjudged both distance and the maneuverability of his vessel. The helmsmen, not wishing to question a highly decorated commanding officer and also being fairly new to operating a submarine of this size as well, carried out his heading and trajectory orders without realizing the problem. Initially, the impact did not raise alarm, as the massive size of the submarine meant that its crew were well insulated, and the reef it impacted on only caused friction to slow the vessel and minor vibrations. It initially was thought to be a 'hiccup in the turbines' but was soon realized to be a bigger problem when the submarine was reported to have completely stopped, and had gotten stuck. The Megaladon sent out a distress signal, which was answered by a Soviet task force in the area. With the aid of tugs and explosives, the amused Soviets assisted the nuclear submarine by detonating charges underwater to destroy sections of the reef, and to pull the vessel back out to safety. Eager to prove the independence of the Megaladon once freed, Rostron ordered the main engines to reverse. They did, and their efforts to show American independence backfired spectacularly when the vessel backed up too far and ended up reversing into another reef, severely damaging its propellers. At this point the amused and exasperated Soviets advised Rostron to shut down his engines completely, both to prevent further damage to the already compromised propulsion system and also further incidents. Several days later, the Megaladon was towed by Soviet ships into a port of the Dwarven kingdom Kanrhia, where it would spend the next few weeks undergoing repairs. No injuries were inflicted on any crew beside spilled hot coffee, a few stubbed toes... and of course, a massively bruised ego. Aftermath The Dwarven dock workers at Kanrhia burst into fits of laughter upon hearing the reason behind the necessity of towing the submarine into port. The damage done to the submarine was comparatively moderate, her bow section was badly dented and a few breaches were present, but the compartments had sealed successfully and prevented any further sections of the ship from being flooded. The propulsion system suffered some damage as well. News of the accident spread within hours of it happening. Xaikon Heavy Industries' stock dipped for the following weeks as they were the manufacturers of the submarine class. In the aftermath, President Oskel Pebblepike took an uncharacteristic departure from his usually brash and provocative statements to simply quietly thank the Soviet Union for their assistance in ensuring that the nuclear submarine returned safety. The Soviet response was formal and diplomatic, though of course not without a slight hint of smugness. The refit for the Megaladon would take two years, after finding less-than-optimal systems that, if improved, may have prevented or at least reduced the severity of the incident. The British captain of the HMS Leviathan, the only other Super Bastion in existence, remarked that "I'm jolly glad it wasn't us, but I suppose the Americans forgot that we use metric on this side of the pond", despite the fact that the United States had indeed switched over to metric in 1991. The Megaladon returned to service in 2020, two years later after an extensive refit in time for the inauguration of President Amelia Thompson. Legacy Serious flaws were revealed during the accident, such as the inability of the Super Bastion submarines to maneuver safely in bodies of water that were not significantly wide. The Megaladon had been cruising at a recommended distance from the coast, but its handling and sheer size meant that its maneuverability was incredibly poor and had much to be desired. The Super Bastion became regarded as an expensive and oversized submarine that was terribly inefficient and regretted by the government, comparable to the similarly problematic and failed Soviet aircraft meant to copy the ACS-1 Citadel, the Antonov An-220 Katyusha. The incident was a humiliating one and extremely effective at knocking back the United States government's ego. In the Soviet Union, many began referring to not just Super Bastion submarines but unfortunately all Bastion-class submarines as 'кит' or 'whale', despite the Super Bastion's template class being far more maneuverable. This incident is one that Soviet personnel enjoy bringing up to their American counterparts when engaging in joint exercises or fleet gatherings.